Hyderabad: BRS Assembly whip K.P. Vivekanand on Wednesday accused the Congress government of violating Assembly norms and undermining democratic functioning during the recent legislative session.
BRS alleges suppression of debate in Assembly
Addressing the media at Telangana Bhavan, Vivekanand alleged that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy displayed “erratic conduct” and used objectionable language against former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao after repeatedly asking him to attend the Assembly. He claimed that such remarks were made on record and lowered the dignity of the House.
Vivekanand said the government violated the privileges of legislators and reduced the Assembly proceedings to self-praise and political attacks. He alleged that the government introduced policies first and scheduled discussions later, which he said went against legislative norms. He also claimed that the House hurriedly passed 13 Bills without adequate debate.
The BRS whip said his party had demanded in the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting that the Assembly run for 15 days. However, he alleged that the government did not release the BAC minutes and accused it of tampering with the records.
Vivekanand further alleged inconsistency in the Congress party’s stand on Assembly presentations. He said the Congress had earlier termed presentations illegal but adopted the same practice after coming to power. He accused the government of fearing discussion and claimed the Speaker denied microphones to BRS members to prevent them from speaking.
Referring to remarks made by Legislative Council Chairman Gutha Sukhender Reddy, Vivekanand urged the government to respond seriously to concerns raised about legislative functioning. He alleged that the Assembly was being run like a party office rather than a constitutional forum and claimed that Minister Sridhar Babu failed to manage House proceedings effectively.
Vivekanand also disputed the Chief Minister’s claim of stopping the Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation project, stating that the Andhra Pradesh government had contradicted Revanth Reddy’s assertion. He said the BRS had served a notice to the Chief Minister for breach of Assembly privileges.